Adrian Fedkiw
The first two cornerbacks that get selected Thursday night might be the duo that played in Columbus.
Gareon Conley has shot up draft boards in recent weeks and Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins explained why the Birds should draft his fellow Ohio State alumn Monday during a press conference.
I’d love to get Conley because I don’t think (Marshon) Lattimore will be there. We need corners … Conley, he can press, but I think he is more of a technician. He probably plays zone a little better. He reminds me kind of a Richard Sherman-style player, when the ball is down the field, he is always in a good position, turns into the receiver.
Let’s check out the tape and see if Jenkins is onto something …
STRENGTHS
Conley showcases balance and fluidity for his size and uses his length and speed on the boundary to ride the hip of wide receivers and trap them along the sideline.
In off-man coverage, Conley uses his instincts, closing speed and length to make plays on the ball.
In zone coverage, Conley does a good job in deceiving quarterbacks and baiting them into interceptions.
Conley uses his length to play around receivers and break up passes.
WEAKNESSES
Conley has long arms, 33 inches, but doesn’t use them at the line of scrimmage while in press coverage, too often giving the wide receiver free releases. This is something that can be taught at the NFL level, however.
Conley struggles to get off blocks and doesn’t wrap up very well. His tackling technique needs major work at the next level and if he doesn’t improve, opposing wideouts will consistently turn simple 10-yard comeback routes into big gains.
CONCLUSION
If the Eagles to decide to draft a cornerback in the first round, I believe the pick will be Conley. Playing alongside Lattimore and safety Malik Hooker, who both might go in the top 10, Conley allowed just a 33 percent completion percentage to go along with four interceptions in 2016. While Jenkins compared Conley to Sherman, he reminds me of Stephon Gilmore.